The Democratic National Convention took a fresh approach to this year’s event, inviting more than 200 content creators with large followings across social media to help reach young voters.
The DNC says it credentialed over 200 content creators, often referred to as influencers, to cover the convention in Chicago. It’s an attempt to meet voters where they are at, especially young voters.
“We know the numbers show that young people have the ability to determine this election. There's over 40 million members of Gen Z eligible to vote this year, and we know that young people don't get their news on traditional news platforms,” said Hayley Lickstein, who has thousands of followers across TikTok and Instagram. “Having people here, creators shows that they understand the value and the impact that creators have in this space to be trusted resources and messengers for their community.”
The convention has provided creators with logistical assistance and work spaces, including a creator lounge “that will serve as a hub where they can work on their content and connect with other creators,” according to the DNC, which also had volunteers on-site to specifically support these creators.
With the election this fall expected to be incredibly close, the youth will be critical to Democrats success, according to Anthony Chergosky, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.
“If a candidate can turn out young voters in large numbers, then that can be a real game changer for a campaign, because the working assumption among many of us who work in politics is that young people will not show up in great numbers,” explained Chergosky. “If a candidate can flip the script on that, then it fundamentally changes the nature of the election.”
The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris has embraced social media and memes in recent weeks, including changing its header photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, to mimic the Charli XCX ‘Brat’ album cover. Both she and running mate Gov. Tim Walz have joined TikTok, bringing in millions of followers.
Embracing social media and those who create the content may be Democrats' not-so-secret weapon, with a direct line to voters through these influencers, talking about issues on young voters' minds.
“I focused a lot on reproductive rights and women's issues and youth voter engagement, voter turnout. So I do a series where I interview policy makers from down the ballot running across the country, specifically female candidates and pro-choice candidates,” explained Lickstein of her process. “Coming here today, I hope to show both the positive energy that was happening amongst young people and then talk to some candidates and activists who are working in that women's space, helping turn out the vote.”
Tony Polcari, better known as “Tony P.” online, is also in attendance this week. He hasn’t made too many posts yet, but said he will be pacing out his content as he measures his message to his online community.
“I'm not telling [them] how to vote, but I just will tell you this: get engaged. Be involved with it, be [it] policy wise, knocking on doors, whoever it may be that you're supporting. Get involved and just be dedicated. Because you know what? For Gen Z, a lot of the issues in this election and beyond are going to impact our kitchen tables as we're starting to come into this,” Polcari said.
“I think they've taken a huge step forward [for] the Democrats…to invite 200 creators to be behind the scenes, you know, seeing the convention, doing interviews on the spot, that's really cool. It's not so curated. I think it was really, really smart on the part of the DNC to start doing that.”